Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

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Sam Vara
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

Post by Sam Vara »

Alino wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 7:24 am
Unfortunately i can't modify the post anymore...
I've done it for you. :anjali:
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

Post by Alino »

Sam Vara wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 7:32 am
Alino wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 7:24 am
Unfortunately i can't modify the post anymore...
I've done it for you. :anjali:
Thank you very much dear friend 😊🙏
We don't live Samsara, Samsara is living us...

"Form, feelings, perceptions, formations, consciousness - don't care about us, we don't exist for them"
pegembara
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

Post by pegembara »

Alino wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 7:24 am
pegembara wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 5:55 am It's pebbles, not pabbles!
Still being a stone here. :tongue:
Oops! Sorry 🙏
Unfortunately i can't modify the post anymore...
No worries. This helps to shape stones into pebbles. :smile:
And what is right speech? Abstaining from lying, from divisive speech, from abusive speech, & from idle chatter: This is called right speech.
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

Post by Alino »

= Past mistakes and successes =

"When we think of our mistakes in the past unwisely, we make ourselves the villain. We think, "I was so bad. I am so bad." The result is guilt. Guilt is a cause of suffering. It takes us round in circles. It has no resolusion.

When we think of our mistakes in the past wisely, we think, "That was so bad. That was a wrong and foolish thing to do." The result is shame. Shame is a mental factor leading to freedom from suffering. It motivates us to abandon the causes of our mistakes. It has a resolution.

When we think of our successes in the past unwisely, we think, "I was so good. I am so good." The result is pride, conceit and ingratitude. The more successful we are the stronger the stronger the sense of self, the more sensitive to praise and blame.

When we think of our successes in the past wisely, we think, "That was so good. Goodness has been created." The result is joy in the Dhamma and gratitude to our teachers. The more successful we are the less the sense of self and the more easy it becomes to navigate the world of praise and blame."

Ajahn Jayasāro
25/6/22
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We don't live Samsara, Samsara is living us...

"Form, feelings, perceptions, formations, consciousness - don't care about us, we don't exist for them"
Alino
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

Post by Alino »

= 16 Upakilesa =

"Defilement is the name given to mental states that cloud and sully the mind, and which prevent good qualities from being established in it. The lists of defilements found in the Discourses provide checklists for meditators to assess their growth in Dhamma. If, overall, these qualities seem to be waning in our lives, then we can conclude that we are on the right path. If, on the other hand they are increasing it is time to consider specific remedies. As long as defilements remain it is as difficult for the mind to absorb the Dhamma as it is for dirty, stained cloth to absorb fresh dye. One of the more extended lists is that of the 16 Upakilesa (M.N. 7).

Abhijjhavisamalobha : Covetousness, immoral greed.
Byāpāda : Ill will, malevolence.
Kodha : Anger.
Upanāha : Holding grudges, spite.
Makkha : Denigrating others; belittling them; putting them down.
Palāsa : Raising, promoting oneself as an equal to one's superiors.
Issā : Jealousy.
Macchariya : Stinginess, possessiveness.
Māyā : Deceit, deviousness.
Sātheyya : Boastfullness as a means of creating a good image.
Thamba : Obstinacy, rigidity.
Sārambha : Contentiousness, competitivity.
Māna : Conceit.
Atimāna : Arrogance.
Mada : Vanity, indulgence.
Pamāda : Negligence; heedlessness.

If you've been reading this list saying to yourself, 'Yes, yes, yes, yes...' and feeling discouraged, then stop. Take a deep breath. None of these defilements is permanent. None of them are you. Follow the Buddha's teaching sincerely and every one will fade away."

Ajahn Jayasāro
28/6/22
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We don't live Samsara, Samsara is living us...

"Form, feelings, perceptions, formations, consciousness - don't care about us, we don't exist for them"
Alino
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

Post by Alino »

= A good person =

"Where in the world is the good person to be found? Ultimately, there is no such thing. But what does exist, without doubt, are moments of goodness - actions, words and trains of thought motivated by wholesome mental states.

We might say then that a good person is one who consistently and reliably manifests goodness in body, speech and mind.

We don't have to try to be a good person, or to feel bad that we are not as good as we would like to be, or think we should be. We simply need to make the effort to manifest goodness as many times a day as we can. Then find joy in doing so. In this way we honour the Triple Gem, wherever we are and whatever task we are performing."

Ajahn Jayasāro
2/7/22
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We don't live Samsara, Samsara is living us...

"Form, feelings, perceptions, formations, consciousness - don't care about us, we don't exist for them"
Alino
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

Post by Alino »

= Boredom =

"Someone recently told me that she is trying to encourage her son to meditate. He complains that it is boring. She tells him that it is only boring because he loses his mindfullness; if he perseveres the boredom will go away. The son is unconvinced. He resents being pushed into doing something he doesn't want to do.

In the course of advising this parent, I said that whatever kind of career her son pursues, there will always be times when he will have to do things he finds uninteresting. If his habitual reaction is to become bored and lose all motivation, he will never gain the consistency of effort necessary to achieve success. Boredom is an unpleasant mental state that will undermine him his whole life. I suggested she ask her son whether he was reconciled to having boredom as part of his life until the day he dies. I asked her to tell him how Buddhist meditation provides us with the means to observe how boredom arises in real time, how it is part of our mind's response to situations rather than part of the situations themselves, and how we can free our mind of boredom completely.

In short : if you feel bored, don't stop. Look at the boredom."

Ajahn Jayasāro
5/7/22
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We don't live Samsara, Samsara is living us...

"Form, feelings, perceptions, formations, consciousness - don't care about us, we don't exist for them"
Alino
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

Post by Alino »

= Thought =

"Thought in itself is not an enemy of meditation. It is a natural phenomenon. It becomes a problem when we are unaware of thought as simply thought, grasp onto it and and give it an undeserved significance.

The body feels a cool draught and involuntary shivers. The ear hears a sound and the thought 'bird singing' arises unbidden in the mind. Both the shiver and the perception are simple reactions to stimuli : one physical and one mental. In both cases, a mind unprotected by mindfullness and wisdom will tend to add something onto the initial reaction. In the case of shiver the add-on may be a wave of aversion at the discomfort. In the case of mental perception, the add-on may be fuelled by discomfort or pleasure but will usually manifest as a train of thought. In meditation an initial reaction thought such as 'bird singing' is not an obstruction to meditation, but allowing the mind to proliferate on the basis of the thought certainly is. "Bird singing > beautiful sound > reminds me of that bird on our hotel balcony last summer > what a great holiday that was > there was that day that we ......" All within a short moment.

Letting go of distractions is an important skill to develop. Even more important islearning how to reduce the need to let go. Developing a clear, sharp awareness in the present moment allows initial reactive thoughts to pass away without trace."

Ajahn Jayasāro
9/7/22
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We don't live Samsara, Samsara is living us...

"Form, feelings, perceptions, formations, consciousness - don't care about us, we don't exist for them"
Alino
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

Post by Alino »

=The Middle Way=

"Smart people can make any view seem reasonable by presenting it as a 'middle way'. All that they need to do is to select one view more extreme than the one they hold and one less so. Then they simply proclaim that their view - a 'moderate, balanced' view - lies at just the right distance between these two obviously unreasonable options. For people without the time or energy to investigate all the different opinions on a topic, a position that seems to be the middle way is very attractive. And thus many false views are freely adopted.

In his first discourse, the Buddha presented his teaching as a Middle Way. But for him, doing so was not a mere rhetorical advice. The dominant view amongst people of his generation was that life offered a simple binary choice. The first choice was a search for happiness through the senses, the path of the householder. The second was a search for a higher spiritual happiness by forcibly opposing the body's addiction to sense pleasures. The Buddha's discovery was that there was a third option. It was a search for ultimate happiness through a comprehensive and holistic education of body and mind. He called this middle way option the Eightfold Noble Path.

Middle ways can not be assessed solely by their relationship to other paths. They must be assessed primarily by their relationship to the truth. The Buddha emphasised that his middle way was not to be accepted out of faith, or because it sounded reasonable, but must be put to the test of direct experience."

Ajahn Jayasāro
12/7/21
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YPT - 2022.07.12.jpg
We don't live Samsara, Samsara is living us...

"Form, feelings, perceptions, formations, consciousness - don't care about us, we don't exist for them"
Alino
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

Post by Alino »

= Mothers =

"Training the mind may be compared to raising a young child. Just as the well-being of their child is always of primary importance to mothers, the well-being of the mind must always be of primary importance to Dhamma practitioners. Just as mothers are sensitive to the slightest threat to their child, so practitioners must be sensitive to the first subtle appearance of defilement in their mind. Just as mothers rush to deal with any threat to their child without delay, so must practitioners rush to deal effectively with defilement, before it gains momentum in their mind. Just as mothers are tireless in promoting the welfare of their child, so must practitioners be tireless in promoting wholesome dhammas in their mind. Just as mothers must know the right time to be strict and the right time to be gentle, the right time to encourage and the right time to discourage, the right time to teach and the right time to listen, so too Dhamma practitioners must be wise in the training of their mind."

Ajahn Jayasāro
16/7/22
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YPT - 2022.07.16.jpg
We don't live Samsara, Samsara is living us...

"Form, feelings, perceptions, formations, consciousness - don't care about us, we don't exist for them"
Alino
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

Post by Alino »

= Self-examination =

"In explaining how to become skilled in the ways of the mind the Buddha compared meditators to young people looking at their reflection in a mirror. If they see only dirt on their faces they make an effort to remove it. If their faces are clean they feel glad.

Similarly, meditators should regularly examine their minds because "wholesome dhammas grow through self-examination." "Am I often given to longing or usually free from it? Often given to ill-will or to its absence? Often overcome by dullness and drowsiness or free from it? Often restless or usually calm? Am I often plagued by doubt or free from it? Am I often angry or usually without anger? Is my mind usually defiled or undefiled? Is my body often agitated or usually relaxed? Am I often lazy or usually energetic? Does my mind often enter samādhi or not?"

If meditators find that the unwholesome dhammas predominate, they should apply "intense enthusiasm, effort, zeal, vigour, perseverance, mindfullness and clear comprehention" to abandoning them, like someone who's clothes or hair have caught fire.

But "if by such self-examination one knows 'I am often without longing, without ill-will, free from dullness and drowsiness, calm, free from doubt, without anger, undefiled in mind, unagitated in body, energetic and concentrated'," then the meditator gladdened should use those wholesome dhammas as a foundation for the effort to realise liberation."

Ajahn Jayasāro
19/7/22
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YPT - 2022.07.19.jpg
We don't live Samsara, Samsara is living us...

"Form, feelings, perceptions, formations, consciousness - don't care about us, we don't exist for them"
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

Post by Johann »

Alino wrote: Sat Jun 25, 2022 10:43 am = Past mistakes and successes =

"When we think of our mistakes in the past unwisely, we make ourselves the villain. We think, "I was so bad. I am so bad." The result is guilt. Guilt is a cause of suffering. It takes us round in circles. It has no resolusion.

When we think of our mistakes in the past wisely, we think, "That was so bad. That was a wrong and foolish thing to do." The result is shame. Shame is a mental factor leading to freedom from suffering. It motivates us to abandon the causes of our mistakes. It has a resolution.

When we think of our successes in the past unwisely, we think, "I was so good. I am so good." The result is pride, conceit and ingratitude. The more successful we are the stronger the stronger the sense of self, the more sensitive to praise and blame.

When we think of our successes in the past wisely, we think, "That was so good. Goodness has been created." The result is joy in the Dhamma and gratitude to our teachers. The more successful we are the less the sense of self and the more easy it becomes to navigate the world of praise and blame."

Ajahn Jayasāro
25/6/22
Good householder, other then Venerable suggests, like may modern teacher, the Sublime Buddha taught to be ashamed on wrong doings (MN 61), that one should take ones kamma very personal (reflections of a disciple, householder or monk), and worry and shame of worng-doing is a very needed quality on the path.

And of course also to be glad if done good, yet this causes as well conceit, yet right conceit is required for the path to overcome conceit.

And gratitude is very related to a right sense of self.

Sure, for one not willing to listen to the good teachings, consumer care always suggest to avoid responsibility. So what's the point of such teachings?
sequeller
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

Post by sequeller »

"I have been blessed with some wonderful teachers in my life. By observing them i have come to some conclusions as to the qualities of a good teacher. Here are a few of them.

Good teachers never forget the debt of gratitude they owe to their own teachers.

Good teachers teach in a way that is sensitive to time and place and person and group.

Good teacher practice what they preach.

Good teachers do not show off their knowledge for the sake of it. They dispense teachings that will be of most benefit to their students in the same way that doctors dispense medicine to their patients.

Good teachers do not demand blind obedience or loyalty. They are genuinely open to feedback and create the conditions under which students feel able to offer that feedback.

Good teachers do not desire personal devotion although they are often the object of it. They do not facilitate such devotion, do not praise it, and if should occur they are careful not to take pleasure in it. They are not possessive of their students. Under no circumstances do they take inappropriate advantage of a students' devotion to them.

Good teachers do not raise themselves up by putting down other teachers, traditions or meditation techniques. They do not promote the view: "Only we are right, everyone else is wrong", "Only we have the profound teachings, everyone else's is shallow".

Good teachers give us the confidence and means to teach ourselves, and finally independent of them."

Ajahn Jayasāro
23/7/22

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sequeller
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

Post by sequeller »

Now I'll be posting yellow pages instead of Alino, he's going to Wat Pah Nanachat monastery. :anjali:
Alino
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

Post by Alino »

Saadhu sadhu sadhu !😊🙏

Dear friends, as I'am about to going to WPN for ordination, my good friend Sequeller will share with you Yellow Page Teachings and their transcriptions 😊🙏👍

Thank you 🙏🙏🙏😊
With metta
We don't live Samsara, Samsara is living us...

"Form, feelings, perceptions, formations, consciousness - don't care about us, we don't exist for them"
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